It is well known that horses' hooves must be carefully watched and cared for to prevent injury such as tenderness and soreness and, also, to treat injuries such as open wounds and the like. In the past the horses' hooves have been protected and the various ailments of a horse's hoof have been treated with bandages or pads that kept the horse's hoof moist, or a medication was applied to the hoof to heal inflammations, sores and the like.
Hoof pads made either of leather or plastic are frequently installed between the horseshoe and the hoof to absorb shock and protect the hoof. Because of the concavity of the heel, the area between the hoof pad and the hoof must be packed (1) to prevent entry of stones, sand and debris which can cause bruising and soreness, (2) to prevent accumulation of dirt and manure which can cause fungal and bacterial infections (thrush is the most common), and (3) to prevent entrapment of moisture which can cause excessive hydration causing the hoof to become spongy.
The prior art materials used for such packing included packings, usually petroleum based, of a gummy consistency, plumbers oakum, cotton batting soaked in hoof preparation or medication, foam rubber saturated with hoof preparation or medication or silicone.
There are several problems with these prior art pads. They allow entry of stones and debris into the packing, absorb water which aids in contamination or further infection of the afflicted area, do not maintain their original size and loft, become unevenly distributed, and in many cases shrink when medication or other fluid is applied. Thus, as the horse's foot moves the gummy packings, the oakum or the cotton batting, they tend to compress and bunch up under the pad at the toe. They no longer uniformly fill the area where they were placed to protect and sometimes these materials themselves are the cause of bruising and lameness. Further, with movement of the cotton batting and foam rubber, they release the medication they were carrying and thus no longer treat the infected areas. Also, they can trap water which, in addition to causing a spongy hoof and stimulating the growth of bacteria and fungus, commonly cause a sufficient change in the weight of the foot and affect adversely the gait of the horse. Finally, silicone does not move, but it is acid based and causes drying and cracking of the hoof and can lead to acute contraction of the tissues.
When attempting to apply medication to the foot, cotton or gauze was medicated and taped to the foot with veterinary tape. Sometimes an outer layer of duct tape or a plastic garbage bag was added in an attempt to prevent urine, feces and the like from invading the dressing.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a synthetic packing of a material such as melt-blown polypropylene which remains flat and stays in place 4-6 weeks of the shoeing cycle because the interconnection of fibers stabilizes the material. It does not absorb water and thus forms a water repellent barrier against contamination. The polypropylene packing pad will hold medication in contact with the horse's hoof while simultaneously keeping water or moisture out of the packing. It will maintain its original size and loft, does not shrink, bunch or move in any way, has a high tensile strength, and does not separate upon removal. Further, the packing provides a cushion for the affected area. Also, it can be nailed through to further hold it in place under a leather or plastic pad that is placed between the hoof and horseshoe and nailed.
The novel packing may be used with or without medication. If used without medication, because it does not absorb water, it forms a water repellent barrier against contamination of the affected area of the horse's hoof. It further prevents entry of stones or debris and cushions the affected area whether or not it is medicated. It may also be used with medication. Medication, whether applied to the foot for treatment of a condition or as a preventative, usually dissipates well before the horse is due to be reshod. With the present invention, the packing can be re-medicated as necessary. Those medications having difficulty in penetrating the surface of the packing may be facilitated in their absorption if a small area of the packing surface toward the horse's hoof is abraded. Further, the packing be secured to the horse's hoof as by being placed under a pad which is under the horseshoe and nailed with the shoe to the hoof. The medication may be injected through the packing to the area between the packing and the hoof with a hypodermic needle, thus bypassing the surface. In another embodiment, a small quantity of oil, such as a smear, may be placed on the surface of the packing toward the hoof to serve as a wick to draw the medication and hold it. The packing may be cut to size, folded or layered where necessary, formed to the shape of the frog, if needed, and dressed off cleanly after being mounted under the pad and the horseshoe.
The packing material also works well to securely plug shoe caulk holes. A strip can be cut from the packing sheet, the end twisted and then screwed into the caulk opening such that the material packs into threads. The excess may be trimmed off.